Why Kenyans should rally behind our military

By Joseph Ngugi

Pre-emptive strikes for the purpose of self-defence against Al-Shabaab in neighbouring Somalia was overdue.

The hostile acts of our rogue and lawless neighbours over the years amounted to outright aggression and declaration of war.

Kenya’s continued understanding and patience amid gross violations of its territorial integrity was largely informed by desire to promote good neighbourliness and help Somalia deal with its internal demons as well as helping that country in finding its international standing again.

These peace gestures and efforts by the governments of President Moi and now President Kibaki have not appeased the Somalia insurgents who have continued to carry deadly raids across our common border with impunity, often with devastating effects. Kenyans lives and property have been lost.

This is why the news, no matter how bad it is, that the Kenya military has now crossed into Somalia and is now engaged with Al-Shabaab fighters is welcome. Even the usual critics of the Government have gone silent.

This is how a united country we are when faced with a common outside enemy.

We as a nation should stand behind our military, and praying that they will return home unscathed, and that their determined effort to rout out the insurgents will be quick and not a drawn out war. The Somalis are a war hardened community who have not known any resemblance to peace since 1991 when Siad Barre was kicked out of the country after years of a civil war.

Common enemy

The country has seen war twice against Ethiopia, a US-led United Nation peace-keeping mission and the current Uganda- led peace keeping mission.

In all these effort to retain peace and security, divided Somalis always see the outsiders as a common enemy and attack and counter attacks with deadly consequences. Images off American Blackhawks helicopters being shot down with Rocket Propelled Grenades and the dragging and desecrating of bodies of dead American soldiers are still fresh.

This should serve as the reason our military men should not be planning for a lengthy and protracted war with Al-Shabaab, lest they win support from all the other armed factions that they have been fighting with. Ours should be a fast and precise war. Almost, an identify, destroy and return mission. Plans other than that will need huge resources that we currently don’t have spent on a faceless enemy, an expense that could be used on our dying-from-hungry population.

It might be the first time we are seeing our disciplined, but usually war-shy, military in action against legitimate targets, but the danger is also obviously huge. I won’t be surprised if the Al-Shabaab sympathisers in and outside Kenya launch terrorist attacks inside our territory, or even on our interests abroad. Kenyans should therefore be extra careful as they conduct their daily businesses.

We should take our security as seriously as the Israelis take theirs for the simple reason that we are surrounded by hostile communities from neighbouring countries. We should also appreciate the danger we have put on our head for allowing hundreds of refugees – some not so genuine – from our neighbours like Somalia.

We did this in fulfilling our international obligations to give refuge and protection to people genuinely fleeing their countries for fear of persecution and executions.

This we did with an open hand and our traditionally magnanimous heart.

Our neighbours failed to reciprocate our generosity by respecting our international borders. They have always spat on our gestures for kindness and love.

National integrity

Our civilisation, respect for rule of law and desire for good neighbourliness should never be taken for granted, misconstrued for cowardice or despised as weakness.

Our national integrity will be at stake if we don’t reassert our right to self-determination enshrined in the United Nations Charter.

Under International law, Kenya can declare war on an independent country in self-defence. The US did in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tanzania did it in Uganda and Ethiopia in Somalia.

We should forget our political differences and concentrate on giving our military the support they need.

—The writer is a post-graduate law student at the University of East London